Teri Rofkar

Teri Rofkar
Born Chas' Koowu Tla'a
(1956-09-27)September 27, 1956
San Rafael, California
Died December 2, 2016(2016-12-02) (aged 60)
Nationality American
Known for Weaving
Spouse(s) Denny Rofkar
Awards Governor’s Award for Native Art in Alaska (2004)
USA Rasmuson Fellowship (2006)
National Heritage Fellowship (2009)
Creative Capital Visual Arts Award (2012)
NACF Artist Fellowship (2013)
Distinguished Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation (2013)

Teri Rofkar, or Chas' Koowu Tla'a, (1956-2016) was a Tlingit weaver and educator from Sitka, Alaska. She specialized in Ravenstail (Raven's Tail) designs and spruce root baskets.

Rofkar was born on the 27th of September, 1956[1] in San Rafael, California and grew up in Pelican and Anchorage, Alaska.[2] In 1976 she moved to Sitka, Alaska, the town her grandmother was born in,[3] raising three children with her husband Denny Rofkar.[4] She died on the 2nd of December, 2016, at age 60.[2]

Rofkar learned weaving from her grandmother Eliza Monk, as well as Delores Churchill (Haida), Ernestine Hanlon-Abel (Tlingit) and Cheryl Samuel.[2] She began her professional career as a weaver in 1986.[5] She wove the first Tlingit robe made completely from mountain goat wool in more than two hundred years, but also worked with contemporary materials and technology.[1][5]

In 2004, Rofkar won the Governor’s Award for Native Art in Alaska.[6] She was selected for a USA Rasmuson Fellowship from United States Artists in 2006.[7] Rofkar was a recipient of a 2009 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[8] In 2013, she received the Distinguished Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation[6] and a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Artist Fellowship[9].

References

  1. 1 2 "Teri Rofkar". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Sitka, Alaska, United States. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Boots, Michelle Theriault (5 December 2016). "Renowned Tlingit weaver Teri Rofkar dies at 60". Alaska Dispatch News. Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Apathy, Erika (16 December 2016). "Rofkar on Native culture and 'invisibility', 28 April 2014". KCAW. Sitka, Alaska, United States. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Bradley, Peter (8 August 2016). "What We Talk About When We Talk About Climate Change". Artists and Climate Change. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 Martin, Mary Catharine (6 October 2015). "A Day in the Life of: Chas' Koowu Tla'a Teri Rofkar". Juneau Empire. Juneau, Alaska, United States. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Teri Rofkar". Rasmuson Foundation. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  7. ↑ "Teri Rofkar". United States Artists. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  8. ↑ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2009". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Teri Rofkar - Native Arts and Cultures Foundation". Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2017-11-18.

Teri Rofkar - Alaskan Native Artist and Basket Weaver

Teri Rofkar, Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist 2013 (video)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.